Safety guard for fluorescent lamps



y 1952 G. M. BRODIE I SAFETY GUARD FOR FLUORESCENT LAMPS Filed Sept. 23,1948 Patented July 29, 1952 UNITE or STAT-fies?" .o FFicEj vSAFETYiGUKBD FOR FLnoR soE rn AMrs.

v GeorgerMiiBrodie, Ridgefi'eldjN.-"Ji

Kpplication September-.23, 1948,: S.erial No1a-50;678;

invention relates to" fluorescent lighting fixtures and moreparticularlieto safety;- guards" forsuch'fixtures; 4

W-h'enfluorescent lighting:fixtures-araused in factories and othe rbuildingswhere there -is' 'considerable vibration; it is not uncommonfor the fluorescentlamp tubes to 'b'ecomedisengaged"-lightlngtfixtureswith' aminimumlof labor; i

,iWith'. theiiabove and other objects in.view; .a's willl'hereinafter"appear; the invention comprises theidevices; combinations;andflarrangements'lof parts hereinafter set'forth and -illustrated.inthe accompanying drawings of apreierred .embodie merit of. the:invention; from which the several featureso'f "theinvention and theadvantages-ate tainedltherebwwill be readily 'understoodlby thoseskilled. in" the'art.

Iiilthe drawings, Fi'g. lis'a transverse sectional view'of' a two lamp"fluorescent lighting fixture showing one of my improved lamp guardsattached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section, substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing another embodiment of myinvention applied to a three lamp fixture.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section, substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3,but showing the lamp-supporting guard in elevation.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section, substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 4,showing particularly certain detent notches hereinafter referred to.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and first to Figs. 1 and 2,the invention is disclosed as embodied in a two lamp fluorescentlighting fixture comprising a top housing I, a reflector 2 supportedthereby, lamp-supporting socket elements 3 and fluorescent lamp tubes 4secured'in the socket elements. Between the socket elements 3, thereflector 2 is provided with a hole 5 2";throughlwhichis.passedtheuppenend of'aig'uard; supporting rodtfi; A.nut'l. threaded .on.tlie.-.rod.l6 ,1. a, meta1' washer;8 .and. aninsulatihgwasher. 9.-sur..-

.rounding.. the rod; 6.: are arranged beneath. .the. reflector'..2.-.and...a simil'aninsulating, washer. l0,

metalwasher I l,.v andnut-J 2 .are mounted. on.the. rod fi above-the.r1'8flQOtO1'.-. 2'. screwing clown.;of;. thenutv ,l'2Lclamps.therefiectorbetween the.waslu ers..9l.-and ln and supports .tharo d.6-.in vertical... position.) A. cotter. pin. 13' passing through-the.uppenende-of. therodvfi ginsu-res. againstaccidental removal-. of..the;nut. l 2; Slidmgly mounted onthe. pin..6, beneath .thenut J isiamcollar. l 4.from...the..

, opposite sides of which. project.arms l5nhavingfvcurved.portions...l5a whichmndcrlie and;yieldingly engage thefluorescent-lamp tubes 4-. The curved portions l5? of. thQgarms.terminate. in: straight horizontally disposed rportionsr l 5 which bearK 'against.--tlf1e. sides'of.theJamp,tubesl-tosprevent the arms, [5nandlcollar. 1.4 from. tending to rotate.-

ab outl-theaxis.ofwtherod-zfiv At itslowerend-theirod..6 carries-ahead.6% upon which rests asheet metal-cup, l B.-. A. coil spr-ing.--'l-l-,surrounding :the:

23 pin fi and' rinterposed between.the. cup I 6. and the.

collan. l4; normally; urges the-collar I 4' and-arms l5- .upward-ly-.-to .thepositiomshown .in Fig. ,1- in which thecurved-portions. I5ofathearmseng ec andbean. lightly. against the.. under sides of. the

.lamp tubes 45!. should either. of.the=lamp.tubes-y 'beqomc,disengaged..from...its. socket 3, it.w.i.llbe-v supported by..the..arm.I 5; andprevented. from; falling; Itlis.;to..be.,understood,.of..course, that one;of"ithese.guarddevices. isJocatedat. each end.of'the lighting fixture.

When it is desired to remove a lamp tube 4 from its socket, the collarI4 is grasped and the collar and the arms l5 are drawn downwardly, inopposition to the spring II, to the position illustrated in dotted linesin Fig. 1, and then turned ninety degrees about the axis of the rod 6 oruntil the arms are arranged substantially parallel to the lamp tubes.Either or both of the lamp tubes may then be removed in the usualmanner. After the lamp tubes have been replaced the guard device isagain shifted to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 and againserves to prevent falling of the lamp tubes.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the invention is shown as embodied in-a similarguard for a three lamp fluorescent lighting fixture. Insofar as theparts are similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the

gether to permit easy grasping of the collar M to draw the guard devicedownwardly to permit removal of the lamp tubes. Therefore, in guarddevices for lighting fixtures having three or more 7 toform a fingergrip1 9-. When one or more of,

the lamp tubes shown in Fig. 3 areto be removed, the finger grip is isgrasped and the collar [4 and guard wire i5 are drawn downwardly to theJ position illustrated in dotted lines, after which the guard is turnedninety degrees about the'ax'is Figs, 1 and 2.

AS shown i Fi s- 4, 5; the rod a- 1% formed at its lower end with a head6 the under. a

surface of which is formedwith two sets of trans- Versely arrangeddetent notches 6 and 6 into which the wires of the tapered lowerfendf othe loop iii are adapted to be'seated to hol guarddevice in either oftwo predetermine sitions. Whenthelirnbs oij'the loop lg are m ne notches65e s shown in Figs.- 3 and 4,

enjd 'of the fluorescentflampftubesi 7 V Havirlgthus setv forth thenatureof the 1neachfendjofthe lighting fixture to support each vention,what rclaim herein is l. 'A safety guard for, a fluorescent lightingture having a reflector and carrying a plurality of: lamp tubes,comprising ;a suppor ting* rod adapted to be secured atone"endjtdthereflec tor,a head on the opposite end oi? said rod, transversely arranged detent notches formed in said head; a collarrotatably'and slidablymoi nted on said rod, a pair ofoppositely'extendin'g arifrrs car of lamp tube guarding position andsaid detent portion cooperating with said detent notches to lock saidarms in lamp tube guarding position.

2. The combination with a fluorescent lighting fixture having areflector, a plurality of lamp sockets and a plurality of lamp tubesremovably supported in said sockets with the tubes spaced 7 apart notmaterially greater than the diameter of the tubes, of a afety guard forthe lamp tubes comprising a verticallydisposed" supporting rod carriedby= and depending fromsaid reflector between two of said tubes, a headformed at the lower end of said'supporting rod and having providedtherein transversely arranged detent 1'5" '7 of the rod 6 as abovedescribed with respect to ;1

notches, a collar 'slidably and rotatably mounted .on'said rod, a pairof oppositely extending lampengaging arms carried by said collar andeach ried'by said collar and adapted when: said rod i'sf secured to the"reflector to be" disposed in lamp tube guardihg 'position so'astoengagethe lamp tubes carried by the' fixture a' coil springsurrounding said rod intermediate said head andf said collar, and; ahand grasp carried-by said col lar and having a.detent pgrt ion engagin'saidi detent notches, said hand "graspbeing'rotated with saidcollar'to'move said arms into and out Q underlying oneof'said lamptubes, a coil spring F'jSUIIOllIldiIlg said supportin rod and actingbetween said head and collar to maintain said arms in lamp-engaginposition, and a; hand grasp carriedb and depending from said comm t -racilitate the withdrawal of said arms :ff ro msaid;

a p tubes andi eiurnin qie app x q .n' e' t d re to n m ati ition; n: -W1 l%hey ar rran ed betwe n n l n th-7. wise ofsaid lamp tubes to permitremoval orthe,

lamp tubes from said socketssaidhand grasp being provided with a detent'portion adapted;-

GEORGE M 153 15 REFERENCE$ 'ol'rnn j The following referencesare. ofrecord in the file of this patent:

unrrnn STATES PATENTS Number Name Dat'e 429,357, cBee -June'3,f1890..844,036 McMurtrie Feb. --1'2, 1Q0 7- 1,307,240 J Christopher June'- 17,1919 ,lAQLQS' i Barry-" Jan, 2 1923 1,393,1 6]. ,Fox Jari;3, 1933@1,955,935,. schepmoesn- Apr.f2 l,'19 3,41 2,258,516 i Gaynor Dec. 30,".1941f 2,350,105 Fuchs MaySO, 1944, 2,350,600v ,Foster June 6,19442,393,062v Reeves Jan. 15,'1946 2,399,339 Foster Apr.-3.0, 19462,403,240, Sawin 'Ju1 2], 1946

